WHO I AM?

My name is Brent Hartinger, and I love to write. These days, I write my books and movies while also traveling all over the world.

ALL ABOUT ME

I’ve been writing almost my whole life. For the last fifteen years, I've written fiction full-time, in lots of genres in many different mediums.

I also love to travel. In fact, I no longer have a home. Instead, I travel the world indefinitely with my husband, writer Michael Jensen, living in a different city ever few months as we both work on our different projects. You can follow our "digital nomad" journey at Brent and Michael Are Going Places.

As a writer, I love mysteries and thrillers, and one of my latest projects is a dark and edgy gay teen book — part horror, part puzzle box thriller — called Three Truths and a Lie (Simon & Schuster). It was nominated for an Edgar Award, which is the mystery genre’s top honor.

I’m also the author of a number of lighter books featuring a gay character named Russel Middlebrook, as well as his collection of quirky friends, as they try to make sense out of love and life. I tried to give these books a lot of heart and humor.

The first book about Russel, my 2003 young adult novelGeography Club, was adapted asa feature film in 2013, co-starring Scott Bakula (and the book is now being developed as a TV series). One of the book’s sequels won the Lambda Award.

The latest of these books is The Otto Digmore Difference, the first book in a new stand-alone series for adults, The Otto Digmore Series, about one of Russel’s friends.

The next most recent books are Russel Middlebrook: the Futon Years, also a stand-alone series and also for adults:

Finally, I first wrote about Russel in a young adult series, for teens and adults, called The Russel Middlebrook Series.

I’m also a screenwriter. I’ve won lots of screenwriting awards and had nine of my scripts optioned. I currently have four movie projects in various stages of development, including Project Sweet Life (which I adapted from my own novel), which is currently in production for a 2020 release. My other screen projects include The Starfish Scream, a gay teen drama; and Decked, the animated “true” story behind a deck of playing cards;

I sometimes write plays. I adapted Geography Club into a stage play, which has now been produced all over the country. (If you’re involved with a theater and want a copy of the script, or my other gay teen script The Starfish Scream, contact me.)

I try hard to write books that are page-turners, and movies that are fast-paced and accessible. If I had to describe my own writing projects, I would say, “Strong central concept, strong plot, strong character and voice.”

Basically, I see myself as a storyteller. But I think “story” is a lot more than “beautiful language” or clever camera angles. In most cases, I think the important thing for a writer or filmmaker is to get out of the way and just tell the damn story.

I recently even wrote a song. Check out the song I wrote (and sang!) for a recent book. (But keep your expectations low. I'm not really a songwriter, and I'm definitely not a singer, especially without the help of AutoTune.)

MY LATEST BOOKS

RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK: THE FUTON YEARS

THE TRAILER FOR A MOVIE BASED ON MY BOOK

MY "OFFICIAL" BIOGRAPHY

BRENT HARTINGER is the author of many novels, including Geography Club (2003) and seven companion books, including The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know (2014); Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (2015); The Road to Amazing (2016): and The Otto Digmore Difference (2017).

His other books include Grand & Humble (2006); Project Sweet Life (2008); and Three Truths and a Lie (Simon & Schuster, 2016).

A feature film version of his first novel, Geography Club, was released in November 2013, co-starring Scott Bakula. The book is now being developed as a television series.

Also a screenwriter, nine of Brent’s screenplays have been optioned for film, and four are currently in various stages of production, including The Starfish Scream, a gay teen drama; Decked, the animated “true” story behind a deck of playing cards; and Project Sweet Life, a teen caper movie now in production for a 2020 release.

Brent’s many writing honors include being named the winner of the Lambda Literary Award; a GLAAD Media Award; the Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award; and an Edgar Award nomination. Screenwriting awards include the Screenwriting in the Sun Award, a Writers Network Fellowship, and first place in the StoryPros, Fresh Voices, Acclaim, and L.A. Comedy Festival screenwriting contests.

Brent has taught creative writing at Vermont College, and is the co-founder of the entertainment website AfterElton.com, which was sold to MTV/Viacom in 2006. In 1990, he co-founded one of the world’s first LGBT youth support groups, in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

MY CURRENT LOCATION: HOI AN, VIETNAM!

My husband and I have no permanent home. Instead, we continuously travel the world, even as I keep writing my books and screenplays. Below is a map of our journey so far.

We’re now living right outside Hoi An, Vietnam, amid picturesque rice fields, not far from the city’s famous Old Town. This is our sixth major “digital nomad” stop, after previously living for several months each in Miami, Florida; Birgu, Malta; Matera, Italy; Bansko, Bulgaria; and Koh Lanta, Thailand. And we’ve stopped in lots of other countries and cities along the way!